Hoping to try your hand at naturally dyed Easter eggs this year? Here's a quick cheat sheet from Deb at Just Short of Crazy. Check out her post for more extensive instructions and photos.
Instructions in a nutshell (or eggshell??)
You can experiment with leaving the eggs in the various dye baths for longer or shorter periods of time and will have more or less intense colors. Here are a few quick "formulas," but don't be afraid to experiment; that's half the fun!
Coffee: 1 cup of very strong brewed coffee + 1/8 cup white vinegar. Soak hard boiled eggs until desired color is reached.
Tea: 3 black tea bags + 1 cup steaming hot water + 1/8 cup of white vinegar; let hard boiled egg soak until desired color is achieved.
Red onion: 1 cup water + dry peel from 1 large red onion + 1/8 cup white vinegar. Boil RAW eggs for 15 minutes. This will color two eggs.
Red cabbage: 1/2 of red cabbage head, chopped up + 1/8 cup white vinegar + 4 RAW eggs + enough water to cover eggs. Boil for 15 minutes. You can also wrap a raw egg in a cabbage leaf and secure it with rubber bands before boiling for a different look (see the egg on the right in the picture at top).
Blueberry: 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (thawed & smashed) + 2 Tablespoons white vinegar. Roll hard boiled egg in the mixture OR leave the egg to soak for several hours for a much darker blue. A third option is to add some cranberry or other dark juice to your smashed blueberry concoction and let the hard boiled egg sit for several hours.
Chili powder: 2 cups warm water + 3 tablespoons chili powder + 1/8 cup white vinegar. Let hard boiled egg soak until desired color is achieved.
Cayenne pepper: 2 cups warm water + 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper + 1/8 cup white vinegar. Soak hard boiled egg until desired color is achieved. Undissolved cayenne pepper will create "speckles" on the egg.
Turmeric: 2 cups warm water+ 3 tablespoons turmeric + 1/8 cup white vinegar. Soak hard boiled egg until desired color is achieved.
Yellow onion: 1 cup of water, room temp + dry peel from one medium yellow onion + 1/8 cup of white vinegar. Soak hard boiled egg until desired color is achieved (up to 2.5-5 hours.)